Wednesday 15th March 2023

New BMW 5 Series due in October, i5 in 2024

Electric M saloon in the works, while i5 Touring will be Munich's first EV estate

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Knock its styling all you want, but you’ve got to hand it to BMW when it comes to choice. While the company has been busy releasing electric variants of its saloons – most recently with the i7 – it’s still releasing combustion variants for those who aren’t in the position to go down the EV route – and that’s exactly what it’s got up its sleeve for the all-new 5 Series.

Announced during its annual group conference, the company revealed that the eighth-generation 5 Series will be built on ‘flexible architecture’ (not literally), that allows for both combustion, hybrid and fully electric powertrain options. BMW hasn’t disclosed any performance or technical details yet, but it has confirmed that both petrol and diesel engines are in the works, along with both plug-in and 48V mild hybrid variants. An all-electric i5 will join the line-up in 2024, which will be offered in both saloon and Touring guise – the first EV estate to come out of Munich.

While there’s no word yet on the next M5, the company did confirm that BMW M has a hot saloon lined up for the electric i5. BMW chairman Oliver Zipse claims that the current i4 M50i was “the best-selling BMW M model worldwide in 2022”, an eye-opening reminder of how immensely popular premium EVs are. Little wonder that the company has a hot electric i5 in the pipeline.

Expect a lavish interior, highlighted by a vast curved touchscreen powered by the firm’s latest 8.5 software. BMW also claims that the new 5 Series is ‘more dynamic and more comfortable’ than before, and will feature a ‘fresh interpretation’ of the car’s ‘elegantly sporting design’. Could this mean that the 5 Series, one of the few cars left in the range with proportional kidney grilles, will bear a closer resemblance to the 4 and 7 Series? All will be revealed in October when the wraps come off the new 5 Series.

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• 2023 BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport | PH Review
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[romac]

Must say the looks are an improvement over recent BMWs!

[ducnick]

The first to crack the usable size estate car powered by batteries is surely onto a winner. No one to my knowledge has made an estate bev yet. Taller cars don’t lend themselves to the low drag requirements of bev so the future of large load carrying cars will be estate over suv I think.

Just need someone to work out how to tow a caravan more than 50 miles with a bev estate car loaded up with family and holiday stuff…..

[Motormatt]

ducnick said:

The first to crack the usable size estate car powered by batteries is surely onto a winner. No one to my knowledge has made an estate bev yet. Taller cars don’t lend themselves to the low drag requirements of bev so the future of large load carrying cars will be estate over suv I think.

Just need someone to work out how to tow a caravan more than 50 miles with a bev estate car loaded up with family and holiday stuff…..

I have a weakness for BMW estates so a decent sized estate BEV that can approach the same level of efficiency as my Tesla at motorway speeds would be perfect.

The only issue is I just cant see how this isn't going to be £70k plus by the time it hits showrooms.

[Krikkit]

ducnick said:

The first to crack the usable size estate car powered by batteries is surely onto a winner. No one to my knowledge has made an estate bev yet. Taller cars don’t lend themselves to the low drag requirements of bev so the future of large load carrying cars will be estate over suv I think.

Just need someone to work out how to tow a caravan more than 50 miles with a bev estate car loaded up with family and holiday stuff…..

MG have already cracked it https://www.mg.co.uk/new-cars/mg5-ev

[Robertb]

At least they’ve seen sense and have left the sheet in place. Hopefully they will extend the scheme to the rest of the range.

[Sion111R]

Will the cloaking device be available for the larger i7?

[steve S owner]

I happened to be in the BMW showroom yesterday and looked over a 520 Msport Touring and thought it had developed really nicely into a good looking car. The more recent crop though, particularly the new 7 series are just shockers! No matter how good the car I couldnt live with those looks.

[Black S2K]

romac said:

Must say the looks are an improvement over recent BMWs!

I walk around with a bag on my head, just in case the BMW's bag breaks...

Actually, I rather like the current 5er and when I saw this article, my stomach dropped a little. I hope it doesn't look like a gopher sneezing - like the 7er.

[Snubs]

Part of me hopes it looks awful as it might help to prop up the value of my 5-series (F10), which i think was a great design. But looking at the twin vertical headlights, that alone suggests it won't have the two-tier lights that do the i7 no favours. My guess would be it'll look fairly conventional.

[grudas]

at least its still covered.

bet ya it'll be ugly/10

[anonymous-user]

Snubs said:

Part of me hopes it looks awful as it might help to prop up the value of my 5-series (F10), which i think was a great design. But looking at the twin vertical headlights, that alone suggests it won't have the two-tier lights that do the i7 no favours. My guess would be it'll look fairly conventional.

Agree i have an F11 and it's a good looking vehicle in my eyes a larger version of the e46.

I hope this new 5 series looks better than anything else BMW have brought out lately as i dont really like any of them, they are all dreadful in my eyes.

[E90_M3Ross]

romac said:

Must say the looks are an improvement over recent BMWs!

I think the current 5 and 3 series are good looking cars. It's the 4, X models and i models that I find a bit challenging. 8 isn't bad, either. All in my humble opinion.

[Fiestapop11]

This is the lead designer of the BMWs apparently.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/U7wLJxeH[/url]

Notice how he has the air of sophisticated cool, melding best business practices with a younger aspiration. No tie needed, the hankie in the suit pocket is all that is needed to integrate seemlessly with the Harry Hill style overly large collar with two buttons

Note for the 2024 model the collar buttons will be replaced by a menu in a new electronic bow tie.

And finally, the watch. The watch is a 1979 Sekonda Ronnie Barker Special with the classic stainless steel inlay. Just poking out so you can see it in all its fine glory

I can tell from the look in his eye he has seen the lastest PH comments section.

Edited by Fiestapop11 on Wednesday 15th March 13:13

[Krikkit]

E90_M3Ross said:

romac said:

Must say the looks are an improvement over recent BMWs!

I think the current 5 and 3 series are good looking cars. It's the 4, X models and i models that I find a bit challenging. 8 isn't bad, either. All in my humble opinion.

The 3 is OK, although fussy in its surface details, particularly the sides and rear. The 5 still looks pretty good.

Just about everything else is gopping now it's had the new grill treatment, the iX in particular is absolutely shocking.

[Roma101]

My rule of thumb is that if the name has a 3 or 5 in it, it is a decent looking car (even the M3, if you only glance briefly at the front of it). Any other number and things start to go awry.

As for this new 5, I think they will go slightly more conservative than they have been recently. Main problem will be the price. A well spec’d Touring is going to cost well in to the £70ks I imagine.

[Jules Henry]

C'mon BMW pull your finger out & get that M5 Touring out before 2025, Audi & Mercedes will have had 15years of the market to themselves since the demise of the E61 with the RS6 & E63 by the time it comes around yet you made the X6 M competition instead

[E90_M3Ross]

Jules Henry said:

C'mon BMW pull your finger out & get that M5 Touring out before 2025, Audi & Mercedes will have had 15years of the market to themselves since the demise of the E61 with the RS6 & E63 by the time it comes around yet you made the X6 M competition instead

The last M5 was a real sales success

[Black S2K]

Fiestapop11 said:

This is the lead designer of the BMWs apparently.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/U7wLJxeH[/url]

Notice how he has the air of sophisticated cool, melding best business practices with a younger aspiration. No tie needed, the hankie in the suit pocket is all that is needed to integrate seemlessly with the Harry Hill style overly large collar with two buttons

Note for the 2024 model the collar buttons will be replaced by a menu in a new electronic bow tie.

And finally, the watch. The watch is a 1979 Sekonda Ronnie Barker Special with the classic stainless steel inlay. Just poking out so you can see it in all its fine glory

I can tell from the look in his eye he has seen the lastest PH comments section.

Edited by Fiestapop11 on Wednesday 15th March 13:13

I wonder if he's trying to conceal buck teeth?

Might explain a lot...

[anonymous-user]

Are BMW going to be one of the few manufactures to still sell a diesel engine in 2024?

[E30KB]

BMW Burqa edition.